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Landlords:

  Landlords are a vital component of a successful Housing Choice Voucher Program!  If you have an available unit that you would like to make available to an assisted tenant, fill out the the on-line listing form.

  The voucher program is a tenant based rental assistance program administered by the Housing Authority.  Under the program, the tenant’s eligibility for the program is certified by the Housing Authority and the tenant then seeks out a suitable rental unit where the landlord is willing to enter into a contract to receive part of the rent directly from the Housing Authority.

  The Program is successful when each party understands and implements its role well.  Tenants are not pre-screened by the Housing Authority for past tenant behavior.  When the landlord does a thorough screening of tenant history, chances increase that there will be a successful tenancy under the program.  Hundreds of landlords and thousands of tenants have participated in this program over the past sixteen years. The vast majority have been successful tenancies.

The Owner's Responsibilities:

In order for the program to work well, the owner needs to:

1. Screen families to determine that they meet the owner’s criteria for a successful tenancy. Owners are encouraged to screen families on the basis of their tenancy histories.  An owner may consider a family’s background with respect to such factors as:

  Payment of rent and utility bills,

  caring for a unit and premises,

  respecting the rights of others to the peaceful enjoyment of their housing,

  drug related criminal activity or other criminal activity that is a threat to the life, safety or property of others, and

  compliance with other essential conditions of tenancy.

2.  Comply with fair housing laws which prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, familial status and disability.

3.  Comply with the terms of the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contract including maintenance of the unit to minimum standards.  The landlord is not responsible for any Housing Quality Standards (HQS) violations that are caused by the tenant.  However, the Housing Authority may terminate assistance to a family because of HQS violations caused by the tenant.

4.  Enforcement of the terms of the lease including collecting the tenants share of the rent.

5.  Prior to the execution of the HAP contract, Owners must inform the Housing Authority of any knowledge of the presence of lead based paint on any surfaces of the residential unit.

Housing Authority Responsibilities:

1.  Receive applications from families, determine eligibility, maintain the waiting list, select applicants, issue a voucher to each selected family, and provide housing information to families selected.

2.  Determine who can live in the assisted unit at admission, and (with the landlords permission) during the family's participation in the program.

3. Review the families request for approval of the unit and lease.

4. Inspect the unit before assisted occupancy and at least annually during the assisted tenancy.

5.  Determine the amount of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) for a family.

6.  Determine the maximum rent to the owner, and whether the rent is reasonable.

7.  Make timely Housing Assistance Payments to an owner in accordance with the HAP contract.

8.  Examine family income, size and composition, at admission and during the family's participation in the program.  The examination includes verification of income and other family information.